Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
So Happy Together? Abby (Melissa Ordway) nurses second thoughts about accepting Devon’s (Bryton James) proposal.
On the Wednesday, July 24th episode of Young and Restless, Devon unexpectedly popped the question to Abby and she immediately said yes. “Abby has found this really great sense of security in her relationship with Devon,” Melissa Ordway (Abby) explains. “I feel like she has no questions about whether or not they’re meant for each other. They know everything about each other because they’ve been through the best of times and the worst of times together. She’s listening to her heart, so of course she’d say, ‘I want to marry you!’ They have a son together and Abby already feels like they’re married because they’re already living their lives together. I think it’s so sweet how Devon proposed because it’s like he’s speaking from the heart, so it feels genuine. It’s not something that he planned out or that he even thought through. He knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Abby.”
Connecting With Mom
The next day, Abby is at Society on a video call with Ashley, checking to see how her mom is doing with her treatment. “Ashley seems to be doing well and Abby is definitely feeling relieved that her mom is getting the help that she needs,” Ordway shares. “The doctors are saying that Ashley is doing much better, so there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel as far as Ashley is concerned and Abby is so excited that her mom is feeling positive. I mean, Ashley’s problems completely blindsided Abby in a way that she was just not expecting at all, so her actually getting to see her mom via video chat and talk to her and know that she’s doing okay definitely puts a lot of the concerns that Abby has about her mom at ease.”
However, when Abby suggests coming to Paris soon for another visit, Ashley isn’t sure that’s a good idea. “I know for me as a mom, the last thing that you want is for your kids to see you in such a vulnerable place or position while you’re wanting to get better for them,” Ordway points out. “Even if it’s just the flu, I don’t want my kids to be around me and deal with this. So times that by a million with all of the mental struggles that Ashley’s been having with her personality disorder and all of that. She’s like, ‘Let me get better for you.’ She doesn’t want to put that stress and pressure on Abby.”
Abby agrees to delay a visit abroad to check on Ashley in person. “Abby understands,” says Ordway, “She’s thinking, ‘If this is what my mom needs to get better, then I’ll listen to her.’ Abby doesn’t want to be a burden at all on her mom during this time. She really wants Ashley to get better and if that’s what her mom needs, then she’s going to give her that space.”
Abby then switches subjects and announces that she and Devon are engaged. “Ashley is so excited and I think it’s like kind of the pick-me-up that she needs,” notes Ordway. “Abby is giving her something to look forward to and get better for. There’s going to be a wedding and Ashley is very excited. I always forget this, but Neil is Abby’s godfather and he had such a great relationship with Ashley. They were best friends and each other’s love interest for a minute, so Ashley has great respect for Neil and it’s even better that his son is Devon and Abby loves Devon.”
Regrets Only?
However, Abby confesses that she’s having second thoughts about becoming Mrs. Winters. “She probably went to bed last night and started overthinking everything,” Ordway sighs. ”I can definitely relate to Abby with that. You start thinking about things too much and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I doing? This is bad. This could end terribly!’ This is her one true love and he’s everything that she’s ever wanted, and it feels so perfect now. They don’t even really argue because they just fit together so perfectly. But I think she’s worried that once you put the marriage title on it, it’s going to change everything because she’s been so unsuccessful in that department. She loves Devon so much that she doesn’t want to ruin this and make him collateral damage in her relationship mishaps. She’s sensing a pattern; she’s been married to Stitch and Chance and they didn’t work out, and didn’t work out with Arturo after they got engaged. And now the last thing that Abby would ever want is to hurt Devon because he’s the love of her life and also her best friend.”
This is where Ashley’s wisdom comes in. “Abby definitely needs to talk this through with her mom,” Ordway says. “The fear and the anxiety start creeping in for Abby and she’s like, ‘How am I going to not screw this up like I have so many other times before?’ She’s so scared to lose the best thing that she’s ever had going in her life. She’s always been such a cheerleader and peacemaker for the Abbotts and the Newmans, and she just does not want to mess up her own family with Devon. But then Ashley says, ‘Stop listening to the voices in your head and listen to what your gut has to say?’ And that’s how Abby realizes what she really needs to do.”
